It is 100 A.C. again and Link is a little freaked out, Mipha gets a Minor Test of Patience, and a reunion ten-thousand years in the making occurs.
"Oh my... Are you the same Link that we met back when..." Mipha saw Link stare back for a moment then scramble backwards. His half-eaten apple rolled off and was forgotten. She looked backwards to see what made him react that way. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you but are you all right now? Link?" She frowned as Link hyperventilated. She might have to repeat herself and maybe use simpler terms. Unlike Rhoam, she hadn't had access to books to try and learn about ancient languages for the past hundred years. Link's sudden change in demeanor was a little alarming and she wondered if he was injured more than she had thought.
Mipha carefully approached him. "...Link? You okay?" She inspected him and tried to pat his shoulder. That didn't work with an insubstantial hand, so she tried making air motions to look like she was patting his hand in a comforting manner. Why was Vah Ruta solid to her but not some other things? Link had been shivering from the freezing cold water and the Blight's assault, so it was hard to tell if it was just the hypothermia
Link was not listening to Mipha. "Itw assod ark! Som uc hdar kness!" He was breathing in rapid, shallow gulps of air.
Mipha was even more concerned at this point. Link probably had shock, definitely had hypothermia, and was bleeding if the spots on her grandfather's engagement armor was anything to go by. "Link? Um, let me try healing you please. Also you need to get warm..." She held a hand to his chest and finally got a sign of awareness from the Hylian.
"You reh ealin gme. Ireme mbe ryo uheale dme?"
"I'm sorry, I don't understand?"
"Ohye ahth atwas thepr ob lembefore... Thank you? I feel better? I remembered how we met!"
"Get warm." Mipha said. She decided to reinforce the point since he hadn't mastered the modern language and this was really important. "Make fire, get dry, it is cold." If any one of those points was understood, it would help. She wondered if Sidon was trying to come back. Since she was stuck haunting a location or person... She made a decision and focused her healing power into a sphere. Using this much ghostly energy to talk had been exhausting. She hoped she had enough to try and steer Vah Ruta as well as try and communicate with Sidon. Link's survival would be guaranteed, at least in this moment.
Link gave a cross-eyed examination to the orb which resembled the orbs from the Shrine Monks. "I have questions." This was an understatement; He had an interrogation list of epic length. (Literally. There were already pages of writing in his notebook of things to ask even before this new bombshell dropped.)
"Go to Zora's domain. I must go soon... please, save the others." Vah Ruta needed to be moved now. Away from Vah Ruta, she wasn't sure she could talk to people but it was worth a try. She would ask him about where the Master Sword was later. For now, Mipha was starting to fade a little from the mortal plane of existence.
"Um, why didn't Rhoam say ANYTHING ABOUT THAT."
"About what?"
"Iwa spos sesed! Lik ewhydid ntthekin gte llmeab outm yswor dandpe oplet hro wingroc ksat me..." Link smacked his forehead and slowly picked out words. "Why did King Rhoam not say stuff about me... uhhhh..." He didn't know the words for cursed or possession in this language. "...about me having darkness? Master Sword?"
Mipha looked mortified even with her increasing transparency. "We didn't tell King Rhoam too much. Zelda swore us to secrecy about nearly killing the one chosen by the Master Sword and your appearance... It was embarrassing. We didn't know what to make of you either."
Prince Sidon stalked back to Vah Ruta from Zora's Domain with a rope tied to a trident head. The trident head was snapped off at the base and the prongs bent into a serviceable grappling hook which he hoped would suffice. If Link was going to have the audacity to push him off Vah Ruta, he would be brazen enough to try and finish the job without Sidon. Prince Sidon assumed there would be something on Vah Ruta which had taken his sister away: This theory was supported by the feeling of being watched by unfriendly eyes throughout the Divine Beast.
Sidon would have been back sooner but was forced to try and hide his leg injuries because that would have led to even more delays. Sometimes having people care about you was a bit of a problem. He could imagine Muzu would have had to be physically removed from the doorway. (Sidon remembered that he could just dive out of a window instead of resorting to such a drastic measure.) It had been hard enough to convince the knights not to bring everyone and, as it was, he had a couple of guys following along to see if they could help.
The three Zoras swam even faster when they heard the uncanny scream from Vah Ruta. By the time they reached Vah Ruta, they saw it beginning to move. They didn't need to see it with their eyes from the way the ground was quaking. Vah Ruta going underwater should have made it easier for a trio of Zora to get aboard.
The three stopped mid-dive when the shivering Link appeared from thin air next to them on the lakeside. Sidon forgot Link would need clear enunciation and repetition. He grabbed the small man's shoulders to keep him from vanishing unexpectedly before the stern talking-to.
"HEY! Why you little- Why did you push me off the ledge?!"
"Huh?"
"You. Pushed. Me."
Link got the gist of what Sidon was saying. "You got hurt by thing!"
Dunma was aghast at Link. "Wait, you pushed him off...," He looked at Sidon's legs, "Oh I thought that extra leg armor was weird. Your Highness, why did you not get that looked at by a healer?!" Sidon sighed as he realized he'd been found out. He glared at Link for ratting him out.
Link dug the hole a little deeper with his honesty. "I saw a Mipha? She is happy to see you and is here?" The staring from the three Zora intensified as did the silence. "She says to tell you 'F-fate parted us, but I am proud of you for protacting-sorry-protecting our belaved-beloved home from harm.'" There was not any response from the Zora. "Sorry, new words."
He prayed he said it right so he wasn't haunted by a caring ghost Zora for the rest of his life. It was better short-term than an angry living Zora, but might be a little awkward.
"...Oh Mipha..." Sidon said and Link decided he got it right when Mipha gave him a tearful smile before vanishing. The walk back to Zora's Domain was long, awkward, and educational for Link. He had a lot of new words to get definitions for. Fate was a little tricky to define.
Aboard Vah Ruta, Mipha's melancholy smile grew as she took in the scenery and reveled in the newfound hope.
"Vah Ruta, you at last are free of corruption..." She reappeared in the interior control room to enjoy the lack of Malice in the water and listen to the inner working of the laser-charging machine.
She stopped and amended her previous assumption. There was a little bit of corruption, although it wasn't of the cursed variety. The half eaten apple bobbed in the corner of the pool and had somehow gotten stuck there while Vah Ruta moved to its current position. Mipha tried to influence it somehow to get rid of the now brown fruit. Given that she was a ghost, that was not going to work. The apple didn't move one bit in the water from Mipha's attempts to affect the waters. She wondered if she could just move Vah Ruta to pour it out, but then remembered that Vah Ruta was in aiming mode. The charging made it dangerous to ask Link to come back and move the apple core.
Mipha resigned herself to the apple remaining there until it rotted away entirely, or until Link finished his mission. Whichever came first. Maybe Link would call on her power soon so she could check on him.
Link wasn't sure how he ended up getting so lost on the way, but the change of scenery was just so calming and peaceful. The relaxation had done wonders for him and he wasn't that worried about accidental grass fires. Plus the rumors had drawn him to the plains.
Something wasn't right about any of the horses he tried to ride. They were all good horses who deserved love. He gave them that but, inevitably, would have dissatisfaction bubble up from within. He named them, fed them, then set them free rather than registering them. It wasn't the cash. Link also didn't want to bring horses into dangerous situations where they might be hurt. He tried a number of mounts. He'd tried deer and those were worse. He'd tried a bear and wasn't sure why he thought that would be a good idea. He did not regret the bear because the look on Kass' face was utterly priceless.
The latest fiasco on the way to Death Mountain had been worse than the bear. He was traveling at night, as idiot heroes do. When he took out the group of skeletal enemies he'd been left looking at the undead horse. He normally would put it out of its misery but stopped. This looked like a fireproof horse and he wouldn't feel bad about putting it in danger. It was going to make the Death Mountain trip much easier if he could get this to work.
Link found the Stalhorse to be horribly uncomfortable, but it worked for a time. He forgot about a crucial fact with the undead creatures he'd encountered. Link was riding until dawn rose. When the sun poked itself over the horizon, he found himself dropping instead of being in a full gallop. Mipha, mercifully, did not ask about how he'd been thrown into a tree trunk at top horse running speed without any monster culprits visible. She just healed him.
The Stable recognized the blond kid as the one who never registered horses. He was starting to become a common sight at the Twin Peaks stable. He did pay the stable to care for the horses, but then would set the horses free or hand them to other people who needed a ride. People who worked there understood that this customer was terrible with the local language and tried to help Link understand things.
Of late, Link had been asking everyone he met about the Master Sword and coming up with a lot of nothing. He wasn't riding anything that morning when he came in to the Stable at the Death Mountain trail. Dirt and bark pieces clung to his hair. He did not mention the Stalhorse since he didn't think anyone would believe him and it was embarrassing. He added it to the list of unbelievable things next to the ghosts, fairies, tiny tree people, and being thousands of years old.
Link tried to eavesdrop on people to work on test his vocabulary and work on tenses. Random snippets would catch his attention and he'd lose track of the conversation long before he could formulate any contributions to conversation. He took a seat at a campfire with a stablehand and another woman who was carrying a lot of bottles. He was idly letting his attention drift while sharpening his sword when the stablehand caught his attention. "Then myself heard outward upon that lake this is that horse god. "
The traveler talking to the stablehand folded her arms, "I hear that say! I hear the horse god backwards horse death!"
Link tried to join the conversation and maybe get the people to repeat that. "Backwards... horse... death?" This time he actually listened to the stablehand. He was tired enough that mental translation was failing him still.
"Yeah! The horse god lives lake, brings back dead horse! He also..."
Link didn't know the next word. He tried the pronunciation. "Ponish?" Link's mind was frantically trying to translate.
The stablehand said, "Punish! When you do bad to bad people because they bad. The horse god punishes people who bad to horse. Been around thousands of years." The traveler seemed to lose interest as she was checking her fish to see if it needed more time.
Link's curiosity got the best of him. Maybe this horse god, if it was real, would be worth talking to. Would they know the ancient language and have a sense of humor? would they have information about his sword? It was time to take on the herculean task of asking for directions.
First, Link had to establish that he heard this right. "Did I understand correctly? This horse god is thousands of years old?"
"He is really old. Watch horses for long time."
Link nodded and smiled. It was time for the next step. He pulled out his paper map of Hyrule which he used in unfamilar areas. The Sheikah Slate drew a lot of attention and Link wanted to avoid random ambushes. "Where is the horse god?"
It was a really long journey and Link was grateful for the Sheikah Slate's teleportation function. Link looked at the lake and consulted the Slate's map before crossing the bridge. He looked at the bud with irritation when it came into view. He didn't need another Great Fairy; his wallet wouldn't handle much more of this. When he heard the plaintive voice calling from the bud, he knew he couldn't walk away. Not without a major guilt trip.
Link ignored the Modern Hyrulian words and asked, in Ancient Hylian, "Hey, would you happen to understand my language? Are you another Great Fairy?"
"Oh... That is a language I have not heard in some time. Would you happen to have rupees with you? I'm a little stuck."
"I have some," Link decided might as well get to the point, "How much cash?"
"Have you ever felt the pain of losing a horse com-oh wait, you're just offering them already? I need a thousand to have my power returned to me."
Link regretfully forked over the rupees and stepped back as the flower opened, "So, uh, you feel better yet?" He had not been expecting Malanya to look like that when he emerged from the spring.
Malanya shook out his mane. "I suppose you serve a reward for setting me free... Shall I make you my MEAL?!"
"I'd like to see you try!" Link was just as surprised by the friendly, joking laugh from the spirit.
Malanya snickered, then said, "I only jest... Oh? There's a horse that knows you! Say, you kept your friend waiting for a long time. It is quite irresponsible."
"Sorry, what?"
"The friendship you established with this horse is really extraordinary. Ten-thousand years and she still misses you. What rock were you under? You should have come here sooner!"
"Uhhh... The Shrine of Resurrection and a lot of basalt," Link said to the spirit, "Maybe some sandstone? I didn't really check. There was this curse. I don't remember much and I kind of have amnesia problems. Among other issues." Thanks to the other issues, Link had been told off for standing on shop tables when talking to people. He wasn't sure why he liked to loom over people when talking to them and was working on that after the arson was taken care of.
Malanya tilted his head and seemed to accept this excuse. As far as excuses went, this was possibly the best one he's had from an ex-horse-owner. "I really should punish you for abandoning Epona, but I suppose I can't fault you for getting cursed..." This time Link didn't flinch and reach for his sword when Malanya decided to mess with him, "Abandon her again and YOU WILL SUFFER MY WRATH!" The outstretched talons wiggled a couple of feet from Link's face as Link mulled over the name Epona. It sounded... familiar.
"Epona? Is that the horse's name?" Saying the name definitely triggered nostalgia.
"...Seriously, you forgot her? Let me tell you, she has not forgotten you. Rewarding a friend by forgetting about her... I COULD END YOU RIGHT HERE AND NOW! I jest." Link rolled his eyes but stopped when Malanya asked, "Shall I bring Epona back to travel with you once more?"
Link enthusiastically agreed even before his brain caught up to his instincts. Epona triggered flashes of warm, happy memories as he hugged the mare. This horse felt right and he silently vowed to keep Epona safe even while traveling all over Hyrule. Malanya chuckled and dropped back into his spring while Link said every single expression of gratitude he could think of. He'd forgotten to try the joke out on Malanya, for which he would kick himself later.
This had been worth way more than a thousand rupees.
Notes: Being incorporeal has so much poetential for annoying situations. Sorry Mipha fans. I heard Nintendo has confirmed pettable dogs in the Breath of the Wild sequel and if that is a hoax then I might cry. Thanks for the reviews!